


Prank wars

by Captain_Snark



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry and Len kind of take pranking too far, M/M, Singh knows Barry's the Flash, because duh, he's the CCPD captain, helped by other idiots, just two idiots being idiots, not really coldflash, pranking is serious business
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 08:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6045013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Snark/pseuds/Captain_Snark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts out innocently enough. Barry slipping on ice on his way to crime scenes. Things going missing in the Rogues' safe house. You know, the usual. Until part of the city is covered in snow and another part looks like a bomb exploded. They realize they've probably gone too far after that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prank wars

**Author's Note:**

> Someone commented on my Valentine fic saying Len and Barry would have the best prank wars and this happened...

It starts out innocently enough. The first time it happens, Barry is speeding towards a museum robbery when halfway there he slips on a thin stroke of ice. He doesn’t think much of it, but when he gets to the museum the thieves have already escaped.

The second time, he’s on his way to a jewellery store and is once again thwarted by ice. By the time he’s at the store, there’s no one in sight and there’s a whole lot of gold missing.

Barry doesn’t believe in coincidence, but he also doesn’t believe Snart would stoop to making him trip on his way to a crime scene to get away with whatever he’s up to. And it has to be Snart, because it’s definitely ice produced by the cold gun (Cisco checked). Out of the two options, however, coincidence is the most probable.

When it happens a third time, there’s a fire and Barry falls flat on his ass as soon as he exits Star Labs. Barry is willing to believe a lot of things. Bigfoot, aliens, deep-sea mermaids and various conspiracy theories, sure. Leonard Snart basically pranking him is not something Barry thought possible and yet that’s definitely what is happening.

Over the course of the next week various items go missing in the Rogues’ safe house only to reappear five seconds later in a different room, accompanied by a whoosh of air. He starts small, but once he puts their television in the bathroom, Snart has definitely noticed.

Slipping on ice soon turns into Barry’s take-out arriving frozen with a delivery boy looking scared to death. Barry needs those calories and nobody messes with his food. It’s only logical he retaliates.

He finds out Snart owns a lot of clocks. They’re everywhere and all running at exactly the same time. It’s a little concerning, but all the more satisfying to mess with them. He even manages to sneak Snart’s watch and change the time on it as well.

The next time Barry’s in the Flash suit, it’s decidedly not Cisco and Caitlin who he hears on his coms. It’s Cold as Ice by Foreigner and Barry hates that the song is stuck in his head for the rest of the day.

Lisa gets involved when her favourite gold shirt goes missing and is found a week later in Mick’s room where it mysteriously ended up getting torched to smithereens. The next day Barry’s hair is as red as his suit and Cisco’s hair can consider cosplaying as the Incredible Hulk. (Why is Cisco involved? Len argues contingencies. And maybe Lisa wanted to get Cisco’s attention, but that’s just speculation.)

Sometime after that the cold gun and heat gun start malfunctioning in the middle of jobs. Cisco calls it Operation Karma™, OK for short. Barry’s OK with it. Caitlin is not, but what does she know about prank wars?

It’s not until an entire city block is covered in snow, an entire street looks like a bomb exploded and the Flash’s tied shoelaces get him to trip and cause a major traffic jam, that they realize it has probably gone too far. The police is involved now, for god’s sake. It’s definitely not one of the Flash’s greatest moments.

Barry gets called to Singh’s office the next day, body still slightly bruised from slamming into a mini-van at 400mph. Singh does not look amused. Sure Barry was probably late by 10 minutes and sure he was late yesterday… and the day before that. Maybe the day before that as well. So Singh has a reason to be mad, Barry is not looking forward to the conversation.

“Allen, do you realize what a mess you made of 50th? The whole street looks like a tornado ripped it open.”

Barry is definitely confused. Does Singh know? There’s no way. He’s about to deny everything when Singh interrupts.

“You’re the Flash. I’m captain of the CCPD, Allen. Do you really think I hadn’t pieced everything together?”

Barry flushes in embarrassment. Of course Singh knows. Barry should really learn how to keep a secret identity secret, but that’s a problem for another day.

“I err… Sorry for yesterday?” he tries. Singh does not look amused.

“Get your criminals in line, Allen.”

With that he’s waved off and Barry praises the lord he’s still alive.

-

Barry speeds straight towards Snart’s safe house after that. He probably realizes a bit too late that he’s not wearing the Flash suit and finds himself praising the lord once again that Snart seems to be alone. Barry might just turn into a religious man.

Snart’s glaring at his coffee table, trying to figure out what’s off about it when Barry arrives. It’s the same coffee table Barry moved slightly more to the left just yesterday. Barry takes great amusement in the fact that it seems to be bothering Snart.

“This has to stop,” he says before Snart notices him.

“Why, Barry, always a pleasure,” Snart drawls in reply as he shifts on the couch to look at Barry.

“The pranking. It has to stop.”

“You seemed pretty quick to play ball though, kid.”

“I’m serious,” Barry tells him with a pointed stare.

“Now that’s just cold.” The puns are most definitely not helping.

Barry glares. Snart raises his hands in mock defence.

“Got it, I won’t turn your hair red again, although I think we can all agree red looks pretty good on you, Scarlet.”

Barry considers that for a moment and when Snart seems to be sincere, he nods. “Cool. The table’s an inch to the left by the way.”

Snart stares at him and then at the table, muttering something that sound suspiciously like son of a bitch. Barry might just suppress the urge to laugh in his face. Of course someone like Snart would be way too bothered by little details. It’s probably why pranking him had been so much fun.

“Why the sudden change of heart, if I may ask. Repairing roads not one of your superpowers?”

“Captain Singh kind of lectured me… I… It doesn’t matter, just so that we both agree, no more pranks.”

“You mean there’s another Captain you’ve been giving your undivided attention to? I’m hurt, Scarlet.” There’s an annoying smirk on his face, that makes Barry want to punch him.

“Shut up, Snart.”


End file.
